I'd been seeing this book around for a while, and I snatched it up while it was on sale. It was a fabulous read, and at times it made my heart ache.
Title: 180 Seconds
Author: Jessica Park
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Some people live their entire lives without changing their perspective. For Allison Dennis, all it takes is 180 seconds…
After a life spent bouncing from one foster home to the next, Allison is determined to keep others at arm’s length. Adopted at sixteen, she knows better than to believe in the permanence of anything. But as she begins her third year in college, she finds it increasingly difficult to disappear into the white noise pouring from her earbuds.
One unsuspecting afternoon, Allison is roped into a social experiment just off campus. Suddenly, she finds herself in front of a crowd, forced to interact with a complete stranger for 180 seconds. Neither she, nor Esben Baylor, the dreamy social media star seated opposite her, is prepared for the outcome.
When time is called, the intensity of the experience overwhelms Allison and Esben in a way that unnerves and electrifies them both. With a push from her oldest friend, Allison embarks on a journey to find out if what she and Esben shared is the real thing—and if she can finally trust in herself, in others, and in love.
After a life spent bouncing from one foster home to the next, Allison is determined to keep others at arm’s length. Adopted at sixteen, she knows better than to believe in the permanence of anything. But as she begins her third year in college, she finds it increasingly difficult to disappear into the white noise pouring from her earbuds.
One unsuspecting afternoon, Allison is roped into a social experiment just off campus. Suddenly, she finds herself in front of a crowd, forced to interact with a complete stranger for 180 seconds. Neither she, nor Esben Baylor, the dreamy social media star seated opposite her, is prepared for the outcome.
When time is called, the intensity of the experience overwhelms Allison and Esben in a way that unnerves and electrifies them both. With a push from her oldest friend, Allison embarks on a journey to find out if what she and Esben shared is the real thing—and if she can finally trust in herself, in others, and in love.
180 Seconds was a different read than what I expected. I loved the way Allison and Esben met and that they were so different from one another. They fit together well, but it was also a difficult read as they faced some hard times that almost broke my heart.
Allison wasn’t a very confident girl. She kept to herself and found it hard to let people in. She was raised in the foster care system and was adopted late in her teenage years. Her best friend is the only person she kept close. After meeting Esben and going through the social experiment that rocked them both, she started to see herself—as well as the world and people around her—differently. She grew so much throughout the story, but I had that niggling feeling that something was coming, and boy did it rock my soul. My heart broke for Allison and I may have ugly cried too!
Esben was a nice guy and I loved the way he saw the world through each experiment that he did. I liked the way he encouraged Allison to do things that she wasn't totally comfortable with. He supported Allison and fit into her family easily. It all seemed too good to be true and I was anxious waiting for the penny to drop.
Allison's best friend Steffi confused me and I wasn't sure what her intentions were. There was something about her that threw me off because she was selfish, manipulative and did things that annoyed me. My heart broke for Allison though, because despite what Steffi put her through, she was still kind enough to do anything for her.
I was quite impressed with my first Jessica Park read. She created characters that had their quirks, but together they were perfect. It was a beautiful, gritty yet tragic read that will leave your heart swelling with the belief that love can heal your soul.
The first quote was amusing, and the second I felt in my soul!
When he lowers himself into the seat beside mine, his arm grazes against me. “Hi,” he says softly.
“Hi.”
“How was the rest of your weekend?” he asks with a glint in his eye.
“Less drunk,” I reply.
In the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard, he says, “You’re cute drunk.”
Kindle Page 93
“How can you be this . . .” I look into his eyes. “How can you be this everything?”
“Let’s be clear here. I’m not saying that this is all a total breeze for me, because you’re pretty damn hot, and I would love to be tearing your clothes off, and I’ll probably have to take, like, forty cold showers later today.” His grin is both mischievous and utterly sweet. “But you know what feels better than anything physical?” Esben looks at me for a long time. “How it feels to be falling for someone the way that I’m falling for you.”
Kindle Page 138
Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Jessica is the author of CLEAR, The Left Drowning Series (LEFT DROWNING and RESTLESS WATERS), the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (& the companion novella FLAT-OUT MATT), FLAT-OUT CELESTE, and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you can't leave a comment please EMAIL ME a quick message!! Disqus may have some tweeks :)